Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
1962. A con artist, his wife, and a dangerous stranger are caught up in the murder of a private detective and are forced to try and escape Athens.
The Two Faces of January is a handsome but somewhat inert adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel. The Mediterranean locations and period cinematography are genuinely lovely, with lush, sun-drenched visuals of Greece and Crete that elevate the material considerably. The acting from Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, and Oscar Isaac is committed and watchable, though the psychological tension that defines Highsmith's best work never fully ignites on screen. The plot follows a fairly conventional noir triangle structure that doesn't distinguish itself beyond its source material, and the ending deflates rather than satisfies, lacking the sting one expects from a Highsmith story. As a thriller adaptation it's competent but forgettable — a missed opportunity to translate the novel's creeping dread.